Priyank Kharge says ‘same Sangh, just different slang’ after Mohan Bhagwat’s youth session

BENGALURU: Home Minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge on Friday took a swipe at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP, saying that changing their language would not change their ideology.

Kharge said the RSS and BJP were “desperately updating their vocabulary” but alleged that they continued to divide people, misguide the youth and “dress up hatred in new packaging”. His remarks came a day after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat interacted with Gen Z and Gen Alpha during a session at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai.

In a post on X, the minister wrote, “RSS & BJP are desperately updating their vocabulary, but unfortunately, it won’t update their ideology. The truth remains the same, dividing people, misguiding youth and dressing up hatred in new packaging. Same Sangh, just different slang”.

RSS & BJP are desperately updating their vocabulary, but unfortunately, it won’t update their ideology. The truth remains the same, dividing people, misguiding youth and dressing up hatred in new packaging.

Same Sangh, just different slang. pic.twitter.com/Vf1nrxQAYM

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) August 7, 2026

While addressing a youth interaction summit, Bhagwat emphasised that affirmative action policies must remain active until social discrimination is completely eradicated from society. He invoked the core principles of BR Ambedkar, attempting to realign the stance on reservation policies, claiming that reservation exists due to social reasons.

Pointing out that policy frameworks should be evaluated through historical guidelines, Bhagwat directed attention toward the structural vision laid down by the architect of the Constitution, BR Ambedkar. He remarked that growing demands for categorisation and recent judicial pointers indicate an organic shift in how reservation benefits are distributed.

He said, “I will go to what Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar thought about reservation. If we honestly follow his advice, then there is no problem. Reservation exists due to social reasons. As long as there is social discrimination, reservation will continue. Those who received it and benefited should pass it on”.

Pointing out that various regions are increasingly raising discussions regarding internal division of quotas, Bhagwat highlighted the changing nature of public demands and said, “A few voices have started coming up that they received it, benefited, and now it should be given to others. There have been demands for categorisation in a few states. Supreme Court too had made an observation”. (ANI)